Telford is a new town in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is administratively located in the West Midlands region, and is now by far the largest town in Shropshire, being the residence for some 130,000 people.
Understand
Telford was built in the 1960s and 1970s as a new town, bringing together a number of mining villages, farms and market towns. As the town develops, the areas between these towns are becoming increasingly filled. The resulting town is virtually one large conurbation from Wellington to Shifnal and from Donnington to Dawley. As a result of the new town's component towns, Telford has several distinct centres, although the Telford Shopping Centre and Telford Town Park area is the de facto administrative centre of entire town.
Get in
By car
It is linked to the West Midlands conurbation by the M54 motorway; it has four exits labelled Telford East, Telford Centre, Telford West and Wellington. The town is also serviced north-south by the A442 Queensway (locally known as the Eastern Primary or EP).
By train
- Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in the United Kingdom.
- 1 Telford Central station. Situated on the Birmingham International (Birmingham Airport and the NEC) → Birmingham New Street → Wolverhampton → Shrewsbury line. Frequent services to surrounding areas.
By bus
Telford can also be accessed by bus from many nearby areas.
Get around
The M54 motorway and A5 main route pass through Telford giving access from North Wales, the South, East and North East. The A49 passes nearby to give access from the North West, the South West and South Wales.
A train line runs between the main Telford train station and Wellington, via Oakengates.
There are also buses that run throughout Telford.
See
Telford has a long history (see Understand section). As a result there are many attractions ranging from the remains of a Bronze Age fort, roman ruins, medieval markets, examples of Victorian industry and living, right up to the brand new town created nearly 40 years ago.
- 1 Boscobel House and The Royal Oak, Brewood, Bishop's Wood, ST19 9AR (12 miles east of Telford), ☏ 44 1902 850244. adults £6.20, children £3.70, concessions £5.60.
- 2 Exotic Zoo, Lakeside Plant Centre, Priorslee, TF2 9UR, ☏ 44 1952 371570. 11AM-4PM.
- 3 Hoo Farm, Hoo, TF6 6DJ, ☏ 44 1952 677917. 10AM-5PM (from 8th Feb - 24th Dec).
- 4 The Wrekin. A local hill and landmark, with the remains of a Bronze Age fort on it. Found just southwest of Wellington.
- 5 Ironbridge. The place where the industrial revolution started and a World Heritage Site as a result of the first ever Iron Bridge being built there. There are many museums around Ironbridge. They are centered around the industrial revolution and Coalport china business which are well worth a visit.
- 6 Wellington. A pleasant market town with a market dating back to 1244. The market is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The National Trust's Sunnycroft house is a good example of how local Victorian gentry lived.
- 7 Sunnycroft, ☏ 44 1952 242884. Victorian villa overseen by the National Trust.
- 7 Sunnycroft, ☏ 44 1952 242884. Victorian villa overseen by the National Trust.
Do
- 1 Telford Steam Railway, The Old Loco Shed, Bridge Rd, Horsehay, TF4 3UH, ☏ 44 1952 503880.
- 2 AFC Telford United, New Bucks Head, Watling St, Wellington, TF1 2TU, ☏ 44 1952 640064.
- 3 Telford Town Park.
Cinemas
Telford has two cinemas.
- Odeon, Telford Shopping Centre, Forge Gate, TF3 4NE, ☏ 44 333 014 4501.
- Cineworld, Telford Shopping Centre, Southwater Square, St Quentin Gate, TF3 4HS, ☏ 44 871 200 2000.
Buy
Telford's town centre is the commercial centre of the town and is home to the largest indoor shopping centre in Shropshire.
- 1 Telford Shopping Centre, TF3 4BX, ☏ 44 1952 230032. The shopping centre owned by Westfield by Arcadia owner Sir Phillip Green features stores like Sports Direct, JD Sports, Next, Wilko, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyd's, TSB, Halifax, M&S, House of Fraser (former Beatties), Druckers, ASDA, The Entertainer, Primark & ASDA Museum.
Eat
- 1 [dead link]Frankie & Benny's, The Forge Retail Park, Telford Forge Retail Park, Colliers Way, TF3 4AG, ☏ 44 1952 293902. M-Sa: 9AM-11PM, Su: 9AM-10:30PM.
- 2 The Clock Tower, Donnington Wood Way, Donnington, TF2 8LE, ☏ 44 1952 677568. M-F: 6:30AM-10:30AM, noon-11PM, Sa-Su: 7AM-11AM, noon-10:30AM.
- Café Giardino, Telford Shopping Centre, 203 Dean St, TF3 4BT.
- 3 The Fox, Pave Lane, Chetwynd Aston, Newport, TF10 9LQ, ☏ 44 1952 815940.
- 4 Hundred House Hotel, Bridgnorth Rd, Norton (Ironbridge Gorge), TF11 9EE, ☏ 44 1952 580240.
Drink
- 1 The Thomas Botfield, Central Square, Telford Shopping Centre, TF3 4BW, ☏ 44 1952 292672.
- 2 The William Withering, 43–45 New St, Wellington, TF1 1LU, ☏ 44 1952 642800.
Sleep
- 1 Hadley Park House Hotel, Hadley Park, TF1 6QJ, ☏ 44 1952 677269, fax: 44 1952 676938, ✉[email protected]. Doubles: £85/100 (F-Sa/Su-Th).
- 2 International Hotel Telford, St Quentin Gate, TF3 4EA, ☏ 44 1952 521600. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:45. With 101 bedrooms over 4 floors. Doubles: £45.
- 3 Ramada Hotel (formerly Grays Hotel), Forge Gate, TF3 4NA, ☏ 44 1952 425000. Check-in: 14:00 hrs, check-out: 11:45 hrs. £55.
- 4 Holiday Inn Telford / Ironbridge (Holiday Inn Telford), The International Centre, St Quentin Gate, TF3 4EH, ☏ 44 1952 527000. Check-in: 14:00 hrs, check-out: 11:45 hrs. from £75.
- 5 Mercure Telford Madeley Court Hotel, Castlefields Way, Madeley (From the M54 exit at Junction 4 and take the second exit at the roundabout and proceed along the A464 to Telford (not Shifnal). At the next roundabout take the second exit and follow to Randlay Interchange Roundabout. Take the First Exit - the slip road will lead you down onto the A442 dual carriageway. Continue on this road (do not turn off for Madeley / Kidderminster A442) until it narrows into a single lane (A4169). Follow this to the Castlefields Roundabout and take the very first exit - B4373 - the hotel drive is located about 200 metres on the left.), ☏ 44 1952 680068. The Mercure Telford Madeley Court Hotel is a 16th Century Manor House steeped in history offering both the facilities of a modern hotel and the ambience of a beautiful Manor House in countryside surroundings. From £41.30.
Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby
- Shrewsbury (via the M54 then A5) - Pleasant county town of Shropshire
- Birmingham – Britain's second largest city and capital of the Midlands
- Wellington
- Shifnal – Lots of pubs and good restaurants, situated just on the outskirts of Telford with rail links to Telford Central and Wellington.
- Ironbridge –
UNESCO World Heritage Site with 10 main attractions (and a few others) including the world's first cast-iron bridge. The Malt House has live music every Thursday night, as well as a restaurant and bar overlooking the River.
| Routes through Telford |
Shrewsbury ← merges with  ← | W  E | → Shifnal → Birmingham |
| Shrewsbury ← | W  E | → Weston-under-Lizard → Cannock |
| END ← | N  S | → Ironbridge → Bridgnorth |